Background: Aging is associated with declines in both cognitive function and gait performance, particularly under dual-task conditions. Aquatic exercise has been proposed as a strategy to preserve functional capacity in older adults, although its effects on cognition and cognitively demanding gait tasks remain unclear. Aim: To analyze the effects of postural hydrogymnastics and deep-water locomotion on cognition and gait performance under different conditions in older adults. Methods: A quasi-experimental longitudinal study was conducted with 24 older adults (17 women and 7 men; mean age 68.1 ± 6.6 years) who participated in an 8-month aquatic exercise program. Training sessions lasted 50 minutes and were performed twice weekly on alternating days, totaling 64 sessions during the intervention period. Participants were divided into postural hydrogymnastics (n=12) and deep-water locomotion (n=12). Gait speed was assessed through the 10-meter walk test under self-selected speed, maximum speed, and dual-task conditions (serial subtraction by threes) before and after the intervention. Global cognition was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) before and after the intervention. Pre- and post-intervention comparisons were performed using paired t-tests (p < 0.05). Results: In the hydrogymnastics group, self-selected speed and maximum speed showed slight, non-significant increases (1.32±0.2 to 1.38±0.1 m/s; p=0.929 and 1.67±0.3 to 1.76±0.2 m/s; p=0.681, respectively), while gait speed under dual-task condition significantly decreased (1.31±0.2 to 1.28±0.3 m/s; p=0.026). MoCA scores increased from 23.1±3.3 to 25.8±4.1 (p=0.137). In the deep-water locomotion group, self-selected speed decreased from 1.41±0.2 to 1.27±0.1 m/s (p=0.064), while maximum speed significantly decreased from 1.77±0.2 to 1.63±0.2 m/s (p=0.024). Gait speed under dual-task condition also showed a significant decline (1.35±0.2 to 1.15±0.1 m/s; p<0.001). MoCA scores slightly increased from 24.4±2.5 to 24.8±4.4 (p=0.063). Conclusions: Both aquatic interventions appeared to contribute to the maintenance of cognitive performance over time. However, neither modality improved gait under dual-task conditions, and both were associated with reduced performance in this context. These unexpected negative findings suggest limited transfer of aquatic training adaptations to cognitively demanding gait tasks on land and warrant further investigation.
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